Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Shipping’s fuel shift moves from theory to operations
The shipping industry’s search for cleaner fuel is moving from policy papers to quaysides, bunker vessels and tugboat operations, as ports and shipowners prepare for tighter climate rules and rising pressure to cut emissions.
Ships still rely mainly on fossil fuels, particularly fuel oil and marine diesel. That remains the operational base of global trade. But the direction of travel is changing. The International Maritime Organization has set a target for international shipping to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by or around 2050, while interim targets are pushing owners to test fuels that were once treated as future options.
The scale of the challenge is large. Shipping moves most of the world’s traded goods, yet it also emits close to 3% of global CO₂. The sector consumes hundreds of millions of tonnes of fuel each year. Changing that fuel base is not like replacing batteries in a truck fleet. It is more like rebuilding the service stations, engines, safety rules and supply chains of an industry that operates across every ocean.
Antwerp-Bruges builds a multi-fuel bunker market
Port of Antwerp-Bruges is positioning itself as a multi-fuel bunkering hub. Around 7 to 8 million tonnes of conventional marine fuel are bunkered there each year, making the port one of Europe’s key marine fuel locations.
The port is already handling conventional fuels, LNG and biofuel blends, while preparing for wider use of methanol, hydrogen and ammonia. That mix matters because shipping has not yet settled on one dominant replacement fuel.
LNG can cut some local air pollutants and is already available at scale, but it remains a fossil fuel. Methanol is easier to store and handle than some alternatives, but its climate value depends on how it is produced. Ammonia carries promise for deep-sea shipping, but safety and engine readiness remain central questions. Hydrogen can work in selected applications, especially short-sea and port craft, but storage and infrastructure are difficult.
For shipowners, the issue is not only which fuel works. It is whether that fuel is available at the right port, in the right volume, at the right price and with a safety regime that insurers, crews and regulators accept.
Tugboats become test beds for future fuels
The port’s own fleet is becoming part of that transition. Antwerp has already introduced hydrogen and methanol powered tugboat projects, while Volta 1 has been presented as Europe’s first all-electric RSD tugboat.
That is operationally important. Tugboats work close to terminals, ships and urban port areas. They consume fuel intensively during short, powerful movements. They are also easier to monitor than deep-sea ships trading across multiple jurisdictions.
In practical terms, a tugboat can become a floating laboratory. If hydrogen, methanol or battery-electric systems can prove safe and reliable in daily harbour work, ports and vessel operators gain evidence that can support wider adoption.
Wind and shore power add efficiency gains
Fuel switching is only part of the story. Shipowners are also looking at efficiency measures that reduce consumption before a vessel takes on any alternative fuel.
Some container ships now use aerodynamic windshields at the bow to reduce air resistance. The savings may be measured in only a few percent, but on large ocean-going vessels that can still mean meaningful fuel and emissions reductions.
Tankers and bulk carriers are also testing wind-assisted propulsion, including rigid wing sails and metal wind foils. These systems do not replace engines. They help the ship use wind as an additional energy source, much as a cyclist benefits from a tailwind while still pedalling.
At berth, shore power is another part of the emissions equation. Ships in port often run auxiliary engines to generate electricity. Shore power allows vessels to plug into the grid and switch off those engines while alongside. For inland vessels, cruise ships and eventually more seagoing vessels, that can reduce local emissions around terminals.
Bunkering remains the key operational link
Bunkering is the practical point where the fuel transition becomes real. The term dates back to coal storage bunkers on steamships, but the operation is still central to maritime trade.
A bunker vessel collects fuel from a refinery or terminal, moves alongside the receiving ship and transfers fuel through specialised hoses. That process is familiar for fuel oil and diesel. It becomes more complex when the fuel is LNG, methanol, ammonia or hydrogen.
Each fuel brings different handling rules, crew training needs, storage requirements and emergency procedures. That is why port readiness may decide how quickly new marine fuels move beyond pilot projects.
The question for shipping is no longer whether the fuel mix will change. The harder question is which fuels will be available at scale when owners need to make long-term fleet investment decisions.
Source: Port of Antwerp-Bruges
